[Tristan]

Need a bit of advice please.
My plot has a very heavy clay soil mix, I have already added some multi purpose compost to lighten it but if I carry on this way it will cost me a fortune. We have a soil supplier near by who is sells spent mushroom compost for £35 a cubic meter (quiet alot cheaper than the bagged stuff) and I can get well rotted manure for nowt. would it be a good idea to dig the SMC and the horse muck in to my plot in an effort to lighten the soil, also would this help with getting better crops of spuds, carrots, onions etc?

Thanks for your help

[RichardA]

both useful but keep in mind SMC tends to be alkaline and has little nutritional value but great as soil conditioner -- rotted manure has higher nutritional value and tends to be a bit acidic but again great soil improver.
Some stable manures have had pesticide contamination which has devistated gardens in past but SMC has of course already been used sucessfuly as a growing medium.
Never put carrots or parsnips where recently manured, but good for potato, onions, beans etc etc.
Hope that helps

[Yorkie]

To expand slightly on Richard's excellent reply, spuds don't like alkalinity - gives them scab - so I'd avoid the mushroom compost where you plan to grow spuds.  Brassicas would like that though!

[Tristan]

Thanks for the replies, however, this raises another question. Would it be ok to plant my spuds there in a couple of years? 

[fatcat1955]

And be prepared for  a nice harvest of mushrooms.

[Yorkie]

Thanks for the replies, however, this raises another question. Would it be ok to plant my spuds there in a couple of years? 

Yes, fine.

[Goldfinger]

A long time ago, when I was still at school, my dad tried some SMC, and everything FAILED!

I'm to wanting to put you off but, looking at the replies so far, maybe it was because he didn't know the stuff was alkaline. 

If I had heavy soil, I think I would consider the stuff now that I've learn't something here. 

[brotherdeal]

Being on clay it's probably acidic but do test to make sure.
I use mushroom compost and manure mix on my heavy clay acid soil, it works wonders! I found best rotivated in.

In fact I did a test patch with spuds last year, I had a better crop where I put the mushroom compost mix, probably down to the area holding more moisture.

[Abbeyview]

Need a bit of advice please.
My plot has a very heavy clay soil mix, I have already added some multi purpose compost to lighten it but if I carry on this way it will cost me a fortune. We have a soil supplier near by who is sells spent mushroom compost for £35 a cubic meter (quiet alot cheaper than the bagged stuff) and I can get well rotted manure for nowt. would it be a good idea to dig the SMC and the horse muck in to my plot in an effort to lighten the soil, also would this help with getting better crops of spuds, carrots, onions etc?

Thanks for your help

Home made compost has worked wonders for me over the years the initial problem was getting sufficient green waste however once  I got a three bin  system going I found I could generate a conciderable amount of good soil improving compost each year virtually cost free.

[lucywil]

Seems a little expensive, we can get a 7.5 ton trailer load delivered for £60

[bazh]

Seems a very expensive way of conditioning your soil, if you can get muck for free I'd just stick with that tbh.